<p>When Nebuchadnezzar [the king] dwelt in Babylon,<br /> He would roar like a lion, would rum[ble] like thunder,<br /> His illustrious great men would roar like lions.<br /> [His] prayers went up to Marduk, lord of Babylon,<br /> "Have mercy on me, in despair and pros[trate],*<br /> "Have mercy on my land, which weeps and mourns,<br /> "Have mercy on my people, who wail and weep!<br /> "How long, O lord of Babylon,<br /> Will you dwell in the land of the enemy?<br /> "May beautiful Babylon pass through your heart,<br /> "Turn your face towards Esagila which you love!"<br /> [The lord of Babylon] heeded Nebuchadnezzar [‘s prayer],<br /> [ ] befell him from heaven,<br /> "I command you with my own lips,<br /> "[A word of] good fortune do I send you:<br /> "[With] my [help?] you will attack the Westland.<br /> "Heed yur instructions, [ ]<br /> "Take me [from El]am to Babylon.<br /> "I, [lord of Bab]ylon, will surely give you Elam,<br /> "[I will exalt] your [kingshp] everywhere."<br /> [ ] the land of [ ] and seized [ ] of? his gods</p> This epic-style poem recounts in summary fashion the events dealt with in more detail in III..I 5b-d.*Notes to Text: (5) WGL: ú-tu-[lu], confirmed by collation. Benjamin R. Foster, Before the Muses, 3rd edition; 2005, (p. 166) <a href="http://www.cdlpress.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=54" target="_blank">http://www.cdlpress.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=54</a> H. Winckler, Altorientalische Forschungen I (Leipzing, 1897), 542f Akkadian clay tablet <a href="/taxonomy/term/53">Myths and Epics</a>